Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Before the big game last night, Tom Renney remarked that he hoped the Flyers would throw the kitchen sink at the Rangers. Well they threw the sink and every thing else, forty shots on goal, but it was a skate that did the Rangers in last night and a Ranger skate at that. Joni Pitkanen got the Flyers first goal on a shot headed straight for Lundqvist but for some reason Steve Rucchin stuck out his skate and redirected the shot past The Prince. That was at the 10:18 mark of the third period. It started a Flyer comeback that resulted in a 3-2 OT loss for the Rangers.

Give the Flyers credit though. They could have folded after Rucinsky's goal at 8:22 of the third period, off of beautiful passes by Jason Ward and Petr Sykora. But the Flyers kept coming and the Rangers tried to play rope-a-dope in the last ten minutes and it didn't work. Robert Esche, the Flyer goalie, made some good saves, 28, but the Rangers missed many scoring chances in the first period and their was one frustrating sequence where Jaromir Jagr hit the outside of the net on three consecutive shots. Jagr opened the scoring at 18:01 with a laser past Esche, which was his 33rd of the year.

The game was a Flyer dictated type of game. They played it without Forsberg, Kim Johnson, Eric Desjardins, Branko Radivojevic and of course Primeau, who is probably lost for the season. They out hit the Rangers 40-15.

So 40 shots and 40 hits, it's a wonder that they had to go to OT to beat the Rangers. It was only through the efforts of Lundqvist that the Rangers looked like they would pull it off. With the lack of an effective forecheck and a collapsing defense the outcome was almost inevitable. Where do we go from here? The Rangers need some young blood in the lineup. Thomas Pöck should be brought up from Hartford and phased into the starting lineup. Malik, who was slow to begin with, has slowed to a halt. Rozsival, while improving, still gives up the puck too many times. The entire defense suffers from the fact that there is no consistent forechecking. The first and second lines are perimeter type players. No one, with the possible exception of Prucha, on these two lines goes to the net. Ryan Hollweg should be playing every game. I hear the experts tell me that they need Marcel Hossa to develop. If they mean as a scorer than what is he doing on the fourth line?

The Rangers have three games in four days starting Wednesday. It's the Penguins and then at the Islanders and then at the Flyers. Next week it's the same routine, three in four, with home games against Ottawa and Toronto on Wednesday and Friday and the closeout before the Olympics at Toronto. This is probably as crucial a stretch that they will have all year. We will see what kind of bounce back they have in them.

One of the things that solidified my decision for adopting the Buffalo Sabres as my own was that Lindy Ruff was the Head Coach. Ruff's overall demeanor, wry candor and his ability to dish out the perfect one-liner impressed the hell out of me.

the always opinionated Acid Queen at Sweet Tea, Barbecue, and Bodychecks. She is a dedicated Carolina Hurricanes fan who always speaks her mind whether it's about Carolina bashers, happenings around the NHL, or Carolina's rise to the top of the NHL.

I have spend time at friends places lately because... well, just because. So we talk some and I talk with Marcel and Aleš and decide things. Mostly that I should move out soon. That is not anything because of Jaromír, it is me. I realize all life I have other people do stuff for me and now is time to do it myself...

While not moving, I find out we can buy many things on internet! So I have a couch. Not here, they have to send it. It is leather and brown. Real nice. Aleš buy me a very large television. I was not to let him, but it is so nice. So big for watching hockey or Xbox. He say televisions are good company. I have never live alone before so I must think he is right.

He watch our game today, so I am glad it was good one. Thanks for vist, Aleš.

Marcel say maybe he can teach me to cook some? I hope he have stuff for if I burn places down.

I guess he's eligible to get added to our "Ranger Land" blog list. But, can you believe everything that's on the internet? Is this a case of Czech forgery?

6
comments:

Anonymous
said...

Due to class, i had to miss most of the game, BUT i was able to catch the wolfpack, and that team is GOOD. Jessiman had gotten a lot bigger, and Immonen is very good. Pock is spectacular, and needs to be brought up. Our Hartford team has lots of good young players, so I would definately like to see us move on getting some vets out, and replacing them with the kids. Malik, definately has to be phased out. He is WAY too slow, and while shows flashes of brilliance, id rather have one of the kids up here getting the time. Pock certainly fits that bill.

Marek got 20:04 of ice time in the loss. 3rd in defensemen time behind Rozzsival with 26:06 and Tyutin (23:54 ).

Marek has 1 goal and 1 assist this year. He does have a 17 +/-. He's over 30 now (DOB: June 24, 1975). This is his 4th NHL team in 9 seasons, so you could call him a journeyman. He is a Czech so he certainly fits into the chemistry of the club, perhaps that's the reason he's playing and Pock is in Hartford.

Pock is 24 and from Austria. He has 8 goals and 28 assists in 43 Wolfpack games. His +/- is 3.

Strudwick got the least amount of defensive ice time 14:19. He has a 0 +/-, 3 goals, 4 assists. He is also over 30, 4th NHL team in 10 years. I would move him over Malek right now, but both should be replaced.

The Ranger Pundit

I'm Mike Savino, the Ranger Pundit. I have been a NY Rangers fan since the 1937 - 1938 season. The first game I saw in person was in 1943 against the Blackhawks. My biggest disappointment was the '49-50 season and our loss to the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup finals.